Page 13 of Protector

I don’t have the timelines right because it makes the glass shards digging into my skin ache just a little more when I thought of Tristan washing my scent off so that he could go straight to Fallon’s side and moon over her. Fallon, on the other paw, insisted on figuring it out.

Based on my confession to her and the events that led up to her confronting her grandmother at the Coven House and then murdering her, she insists that Tristan might have abandoned me by the creek, but as soon as he had the chance, he played pool with Fallon.

Yeah. I didn’t get that, either.

I gave her a look, waiting for her to explain. The gist of it was that, around the time I arrived in the sanctuary, she finalized her bond with Lucas. I know that, because my nosy ass heard her shrieking, went to make sure the beast wasn’t devouring Fallon, and found him doing something to her that my old friend was definitely enjoying.

I backed off, giving them privacy, though I stayed close enough to ward off any threats to them during their mating night. After that, she kinda went feral for a bit there right around the same time that I got nabbed by that murderous witch. It was a rough couple of weeks for both of us, but while I was doing intel on the inside of the coven house as a distraction, Fal and Tristan had a heart to heart over a game of pool. Fallon made it clear that she was going to bond to Lucas, and Tristan was happy just to be friends.

Because he finally knew who his fated mate was?

If so, then what the hell, dude?

I mean, Fate has a way of working out. Look at Fallon and her Alpha. Jolie was Lucas’s fated mate. She was slaughtered by a charmed wolf seventy years ago, then brought back as Fallon—who fell for Lucas right away. Working in tandem with Fate, the Luna rarely gets it wrong when she nudges and guides her shifters in a certain direction.

But there’s still free will?—

Yeah. Like Tristan purposely cutting off our bond on his side.

I shake my head, ducking under a low-hanging branch weighed down by ice. There was a cold snap the other day that I ignored by cozying up as my wolf, lounging in front of a lit fire in the pack house. It’s warmer than it was, but the sleet and snow that fell ices over the forest and only just began to melt a little.

I need the cold. It’s bracing, and helps my fiery temper freeze over to a more manageable level. Plus, with it being this nasty out, it’s nice knowing I have all of the pack land outdoors to myself.

I’m a twin. I spent so many years as a unit. I never minded. Lorelei and me were a team. Adding Fallon in as our assignment, watching over her as her human mother grew sick and died all those years ago… we became a trio. A pack of our own.

Fallon has her mate now. So does my twin.

And then there was one—and I’m taking advantage of a newfound need for solitude.

Besides, Tristan seems to have made his choice, and pretty clearly, too. Maybe it’s my turn to figure out what it is that I want, and what my next move is going to be.

Right now? I just need a little ‘me’ time. That’s all. And because I don’t want to hear Lucas bitch and moan later, I purposely stuck to pack territory. The longer I’m in Winter Creek, the easier I can sense the invisible barriers that separate the land the wolves claim as theirs from the witch-owned spaces. At first, the small buzz was more like a warning. A signal to my wolf that we weren’t the only shifters around. Over time, it’s like a gentle caress and a welcome home in one.

I try not to think about what that means…

Breaking through the trees, I tiptoe as close to the line as I can while edging near the creek. Something about the rapids crashing against the boulders, plus the hypnotic sway of the rope bridge over my head is soothing to my and my wolf. I don’t plan on leaving the sanctuary—not yet, at least—but the empty train station and the quiet train tracks remind me that I can whenever I want to.

Out of the trees, the sun streams brightly down on a patch of grass calling my name. I don’t sense anyone around. Taking a deep breath, there’s no scent on the breeze that tells me I have company. I’m alone, and I quickly strip off my clothes.

I fold my jeans and my shirt and place them on the ground. My panties and my bra go on top of that pile, plus my discarded sneakers and socks. I only went back to my apartment to let Lorelei know that the Luna was sending me to watch over Fallon in Winter Creek. If I packed too much of my shit, I’d worry her, and worrying my sweet twin was the last thing I’d ever do.

She’s the good one for a reason. Kind and selfless, she instantly offered to go. Either in my place or with me, she would’ve said goodbye to her fated mate so soon after finding him just to soothe my heartache.

For fuck’s sake, I knew the human for, like, six weeks. Maybe we were meant for a fling, maybe I would’ve banged him for a year before moving on, but I never did commitment for a reason: my duty to the Luna came first. It was the same with Lorelei, but if there’s one thing ingrained into every shifter, it’s that a mate comes before all else.

So, no. I couldn’t let her do that. Instead, I kissed her cheek, gave her a hug, and said I’d be back as soon as I could. The few outfits I tossed in my duffel sold that, and my twin reluctantly hung back as I left our apartment for the last time.

I’m not ready to go back. Not yet. Besides, before the Luna went quiet on me, she assured me that Lorelei and Cal finalized their bond during the first full moon that passed. She’s happy. All I’ve ever wanted in this world was to see Lorelei happy.

Know what makes me happy? When I can let down my guard and, for a few moments, not be the hard-ass my job makes me be.

I’ve been on this assignment for nine years. Handpicked because we were her guardians and the right age to infiltrate our way into Fallon’s life, Lorelei and I were on constant duty because that’s what the Luna expected of us.

I’m the bad twin. The tough guy. The Luna’s enforcer. Lorelei’s job was to support Fallon, watching over her until it was time for her to go to Winter Creek and do what she was reborn to do. Me? I helped, but I never once forgot that my task was to find out who was responsible for Jolie Bordeaux’s murder in the first place—and eliminate them.

Remy Gauthier confessed and was immediately executed. That might’ve shocked the hell out of Fallon—especially due to her hemophobia—but that witch… he’s not the only blood I have on my claws.

I did it, though. And without the Luna giving me another assignment just yet, I don’t have to be that hard-ass. Fuck it. I can shift to my fur, roll around in the grass, splash in the creek, chase any prey that’s not currently hibernating, and Luna-damn frolic if I want to.

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